Sarah’s gift of life

VIBRANT: Sarah Dickinson, who sadly died of a brain aneurysm, has given life to six people through organ donation.

Published:14:00Friday 14 September 2012

A YOUNG mum who died suddenly has helped give the gift of life to six people waiting desperately for organ transplants.

Sarah Dickinson, 39, died four days after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Unbeknown to her family, Sarah, mum to 13-year-old Ellie, had signed the organ donor register just weeks before.

Now six people, including a 12-month-old boy, have been given new hope after receiving her organs.

And her relatives say they can take comfort knowing her generosity and thoughtfulness has helped save the lives of others.

Her mum Lorraine Charnick said: “It was a bolt out of the blue. She was always smiling and was full of fun. She had been perfectly healthy and that was why her organs could be used.”

Sarah, who lived in Heckmondwike with Ellie and her partner Dave, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary on August 18 after suffering a bleed in her brain. Four days later she was found to have no brain activity and her life support machine was turned off.

Lorraine said: “It was awful. One minute we thought she would be all right and the next she wouldn’t. The surgeons were wonderful though. They did everything they could.

“They asked me about organ donation and at first I wasn’t sure, because she was my daughter. We were taken aback because we were just clinging on to hope, but the doctor asked us to think about it.

“But the next day they said they found she was already on the register. She had taken the difficult decision out of our hands.

“She always had a smile; she was very carefree and laid back and so generous. The fact she has given so much is the only comfort for us.”

Sarah’s heart went to a man with a young son who had been on the waiting list for a year. An elderly man received a kidney, and a woman received Sarah’s lungs.

Her funeral was held at Dewsbury Crematorium last Tuesday, with hundreds of her friends and family members in attendance.

Lorraine said: “She had a massive circle of friends. She didn’t make enemies.”

About £700 was collected at Sarah’s funeral for the neuro intensive care unit at the LGI.

Lorraine said: “We have said if one day we see someone on the street and they give us a beaming smile, that could be Sarah.

“While ever these people live on, so does she. The little boy of the man who got Sarah’s heart will have his dad. The little boy who is only one year old has his life ahead of him.

“We wondered what these people must have felt when they got the phone call to say they had a match. Some part of every day we hope they will think, ‘bless you, whoever you were’.”

Sarah’s family are urging people to sign the donor register. Fill in your details at www.organdonation.nhs.uk.